Best Schools in Newton Aycliffe

How many schools are there in Newton Aycliffe?

Newton Aycliffe has 17 open schools: 10 state primary, 3 state secondary or all-through and 4 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Newton Aycliffe are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Newton Aycliffe was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Sugar Hill Primary School. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 12 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Sugar Hill Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Newton Aycliffe get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Newton Aycliffe with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Woodham Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.5 and 47% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Greenfield Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 37.7 and 29% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and UTC South Durham, with an Attainment 8 score of 33.4 and 18% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Woodham AcademyGreenfield AcademyUTC South Durham

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Newton Aycliffe have the best SATs results?

Of the 9 primary schools in Newton Aycliffe with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (84% in reading, 89% in maths); Vane Road Primary School (79% in reading, 90% in maths); and Byerley Park Primary School (80% in reading, 87% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolVane Road Primary SchoolByerley Park Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Newton Aycliffe?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Newton Aycliffe selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Newton Aycliffe have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Newton Aycliffe have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Newton Aycliffe?

Apply to your council - County Durham or Darlington, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.